Jan. 6, 2007

Box Score

NEW HAVEN, Conn.--Erica Davis tied a season-high with 25 points and added 13 rebounds to lead Yale (7-7) to its fifth straight win, a 70-60 decision over Massachusetts (10-5) Saturday afternoon at the John J. Lee Amphitheater. The Bulldogs have won five straight for the first time since Feb. 28-Nov. 25, 1998. This is the first time Yale has won five consecutive games within a season since Feb. 8-22, 1997.

Davis made a layup to start the game, and the Bulldogs never looked back. With Yale leading 15-11 midway through the first half, back-to-back three-pointers by Brittani Nichols and Stephanie Marciano opened up a 10-point edge, 21-11. The lead hovered around 10 for the rest of the period, and the Bulldogs had a 34-24 lead at halftime.

Yale's lead reached 13 when Melissa Colborne's layup made the score 43-30 with 15:51 remaining. UMass responded with a 16-5 run over the next 6:06 to pull within two at 48-46. A Davis layup on the next Yale possession sparked a 16-2 Bulldog run that brought the lead to a game-high 16 points, 64-48. Davis had eight points during the run.

The Minutewomen tried to come back, but were only able to get as close as nine when Tamara Tatham's layup made the score 66-57 with 1:32 left. Davis scored four straight points to bring the lead back to 13 before the Minutewomen's Sakera Young scored the final three points of the 70-60 Yale victory.

"They spent all their energy coming back," Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach Chris Gobrecht said. "We put some new people in and they were just spent."

"We're outrunning a lot of teams" Davis said. "Our defense is always a challenge for other teams. It helps us maintain the lead through the lull, which means we don't have to fight back."

Marciano was the only other Bulldog to score in double figures, tying a season-high with 11 points. Chinenye Okafor tallied nine points, 12 rebounds and a season-high five steals, while Colborne notched nine points and a career-high five assists.

The Bulldogs set a season-high with 27 field goals and shot 43.5 percent (27-of-62) from the field. Yale shot 37.5 percent (6-of-16) from three-point range and 71.4 percent (10-of-14) from the charity stripe. The Bulldogs held a 41-29 edge on the boards, including a 17-7 advantage on the offensive glass. Yale converted 22 UMass turnovers into 25 points.

Tamara Tatham posted a double-double for Massachusetts with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Kate Mills and Pam Rosanio each added 13 points for the Minutewomen. Massachusetts shot 52.1 percent (25-of-48) from the field, but went just 10-for-20 (50 percent) from the free throw line. The Minutewomen did not make a three-pointer, and attempted just three.

After playing four games in nine days, Yale now has a week off before beginning conference play. The Bulldogs host Brown next Saturday at 2 p.m. in the Ivy League opener for each team.

"The Ivy League is wide open," Gobrecht said. "We've got a great chance if we keep doing what we do. Depth is very important. We'll need everybody."

NOTES: Yale never trailed in the game...Davis notched her second consecutive double-double and her fourth of the season...Yale's last two opponents have attempted just six three-pointers combined...The Bulldogs finished non-conference play with a 7-7 record, their most non-conference wins since 2001-02...Yale had a .500 or better record in non-conference play for the first time since going 7-6 in 2001-02.

Report filed by Joe Clifford, Yale Sports Publicity